Lonely at the Top
by RitzBitz
Summary: Now with potstickers! Lena has known since their first meeting. This story explores the trust issues that are coming to a head in Season 3 from the beginning working under the assumption that Lena knows all. Lena POV with brief forays into the POV of other characters close to our favorite CEO. Lots of angst, but of course, Supercorp is endgame.
1. Flying High on Bus Fumes

**This takes place in the early days of Kara and Lena's budding relationship, with specific reference to Season 2 Episode 3, "Welcome to Earth." I like the idea of exploring certain key moments from Lena's perspective, since we get so much of Kara's through the camera lens. Eventually, my hope would be to complete a series of chapters or one-shots through the end of season 3. Supercorp is endgame, but lesbihonest, their friendship is worth writing about too.**

 **I own nothing except the thoughts in my head, all praise the CW.**

/

Lena Luthor, poker face firmly in place, ushered Kara Danvers out of her office with a smile. The two exchanged vague assurances of seeing each other again soon, and Lena watched Kara until the elevator doors silently closed. She turned to her security detail, _Connors_ , Lena mentally rehearsed before speaking, "Find out if Wu is still in the planning office. If he is, I want to see him before he goes back downstairs."

Connors put his sleeve to his mouth and murmured succinctly into his microphone. He nodded at Lena. Lena retrieved the alien detection device she had left on her desk and studied it carefully. A fortune in sales. The corner of her mouth twitched. Promptly, she heard footsteps approaching, and as turned back to her open office door, Dr. John Wu entered carrying his familiar case.

"Ms. Luthor, you wanted to see me?" He stopped a few feet from her desk and nervously adjusted his wire-framed glasses.

"Yes, John, I hope I didn't interrupt your meeting." She circled her desk and held out the detection device.

"No, no, just finished actually." Wu gingerly switched his case from one hand to the other, taking the device from Lena's outstretched hand. "What's wrong? This is your prototype, I thought you calibrated this already."

Lena's mouth twitched again, threatening to break out in a smirk, but she turned away from him to hide it, walking back around to her chair. She settled into it before replying. "I'd like you run a diagnostic. Full sweep. I want you to clear it personally… before the shareholders meeting. Tell me if you need assistance with other deadlines. I expect this to be your top priority." She fixed him with a pointed look.

Though he had more questions, Wu recognized the dismissal. "I'll start right away." He slipped the device in his pocket and glanced back at his boss, now immersed in her computer. Without another word, he turned to leave.

"No nights or weekends, John," he heard her call after him. He smiled and swept out of Lena's office. Eighteen months later, and his wife still liked to bring up the care package Lena had sent when their daughter born, every time he talked about his work at home.

While he couldn't understand how her own prototype could be flawed in any way, John Wu suspected that the lightness in his step was due to the knowledge that Lena Luthor trusted him to find out.

* * *

 _Flew here on a bus?_

Lena smiled but shook her head, a way of formally clearing the meeting with Kara from her mind. She still had at least six hours of work to complete before she left for the day. _What a dork._

It wasn't until she had settled into the back of her car that her thoughts turned back to Kara. Her mind jumped first to the device and the new changes it would need, but she forced herself to start at the beginning. As her driver steered the car around this turn and through that intersection, Lena's mind played back the meeting, scrutinizing every moment. They were on a first name basis now. Kara flew there on a bus, and she forgot to take notes. Don't skip anything. Lena took a breath, relaxing against the headrest.

It might have been unfair to try and bait Kara, but despite her cool, polished disposition, Lena had bristled at the idea of a story from the angle that Kara seemed to be after. The sister of Earth's most notorious alien hater. What a reputation… no matter how hard she worked, no matter how smart she was, no matter how much money she dumped into good works, Lena would always be just that… the sister of a true monster.

And since they were family, since they had grown up with the same influences and the same hate mongering, Lena and Lex must be the same. And so, she had shown Kara her detection device, and played devil's advocate when Kara protested it. L Corp is in the business of making money, and Lena planned to make as much as she possibly could. She'd use whatever tactic she had to, from both sides of the amnesty argument, to earn billions. If Kara hadn't figured out by now that the money was put to good use, then she deserved to be baited.

So Lena had tested herself to show the baseline for a human reading, and then turned the device on Kara- a calculated risk, to be sure. She figured Kara would do something to it… Lena had given her plenty of time, allowing herself to be sidetracked by Kara's questions about freedom and American values.

She could admit now that she felt somehow disappointed in Kara's naïve opinions. Lena had lost far too much to feel optimistic about anything grand like trusting the population to have the same idea of what it meant to be American… or live a moral life. She couldn't help but want Kara to feel the same way as she did. She couldn't help feeling the need to call Kara out, because she knew that Supergirl was listening.

She was still impressed that Kara had gotten a negative response out of the device, though. Lena admired her ingenuity, especially in the face of the bumbling, nervous reporter persona Kara had perfected. Lena knew who Kara could be, and it was, on occasion, irritating to have to play the game. Supergirl was far too formal with Lena, and Kara was pretending all the time.

 _You wanted to catch her. You wanted her to tell you._

Pushing that thought away, Lena unfastened her seat belt and reached for her bag as her driver opened the door. It was a stretch to think that either Kara or Supergirl would trust her. She was the enemy. _Fucking Luthors_. But even then, she felt the familiar constriction in her chest at the thought of her brother. Destined to disappoint, but never far from her heart. She thanked her driver, _Joseph_ , she recited, and she promised him muffins in the morning as an apology for the late night.

She made her way upstairs, still lost in thought. Away from Kara, it was easier for Lena to feel righteous. No one could be trusted. Selfishness was caused by 100,000 years of evolution built around the simple purpose of survival. Supergirl was wrong to pretend she was selfless, and her alter ego was wrong to act so damned… wholesome. She would get hurt. Lena would get hurt.

Ultimately, she had concluded that the Luthor name was the reason why she had decided to let Kara Danvers in... Lex, and his endless pursuit of Clark Kent. Lillian, and her disgusting crusade. The dark hatred that defined both had always threatened Lena… even succeeded to influence her in her lowest moments. But she had made her decision, to do the one thing that would hurt both Lex and Lillian- turn the family's money into a force for good. She was no superhero. She couldn't fly, she wasn't bulletproof. But she could make money, and she could spend it. And she had her most valuable asset: her mind.

Illogically, Lena knew that she did it all at least in part for Kara… for Supergirl. To prove that she wasn't cut from the same cloth as her brother and mother. She knew that to ignore this motivation would be foolish, that to master her feelings, she had to acknowledge them. In honor of its importance, she referred to this need to impress her affiliations upon Supergirl as her "obsession." She was also willing to admit that she hadn't quite come to terms with why she was obsessed with convincing Supergirl of her good intentions. Or why she desired to make Kara Danvers confess to her…

As she undressed, peeling away layers of the day, Lena finally allowed her thoughts to linger on Kara herself. How she had responded when Lena held the device out to her, her smile huge even as she accused Lena of violating the American ideal. How the light from the window illuminated her eyes, intensely blue. How thrilling it was to argue with her, such a different tone from their previously polite interactions. The way her sweater stopped just shy of her waistband. How Lena could feel herself biting her lip as she held the device out to Kara, but how she hadn't wanted to stop herself.

And already she was planning her next appointment with Kara Danvers, junior reporter.

 _Next time, no security._

* * *

Lena scanned the email from John Wu, catching the general sense without reading every word. Basically, her prototype had been fried. Lena ignored his questions about how she knew, limiting her reply to pertinent details regarding the device's prognosis and rebuild. Marking her last unread email as "read," Lena checked her phone again.

Jess had assured her earlier in the week that she had left a message for Kara Danvers, but Lena hadn't received so much as a text from her. Lena's opinion on the lack of contact kept changing. As the distance between their meetings increased, Lena's intense resolve to confront Kara had waned. This at least she was glad of… It would have been foolish to show her hand too early. The longer she thought about it, she could only think that keeping Kara's secret was more valuable to her than not.

At the same time, the longer she went without seeing Kara, the harder it was for Lena to deny that she wanted to.

By the time Kara did drop by, Lena found her appetite for confrontation had nearly gone. The apprehension she'd felt before the article dropped was assuaged when she finally read it... and re-read it. Kara was just as good at her second job. Lena hadn't lied when she said she had been worried about Kara's bleeding heart, and she was pleased when Kara told her the truth about her original article. Though she expected she should feel affronted to learn that Kara had wanted to blast her, Lena only felt warmth in response to Kara's honesty, which Lena found compelling. There was something equally strange and completely familiar about having her in this office, allowing her to drop by without announcement. Kara was so informal. Around Kara, she was Lena, not Ms. Luthor. In a flash, the CEO realized that the need to draw Kara's secret identity out into the open was not as important as actually being in her presence, in one way or another.

She decided to share with Kara, too. Not a lot, but enough to hope that Kara had understood her devastation at discovering Lex's true motives. Enough to hope that Supergirl would believe her, maybe someday soon, that they were on the same side. She had sensed that Kara remained unconvinced, but they had shared a comfortable enough silence afterward not to worry. Lena knew she couldn't force it; she just had to keep showing Kara, and Supergirl.

She had to keep grooming her obsession.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please let me know what you think! As a queer person, I think I identify with supercorp so much because I've experienced that blurring of boundaries in friendships. I love Supergirl, not just for the sexy jawlines. I don't dislike Mon-El; I actually like that his character has developed from the one note song he was 6 years ago. I don't dislike James and Lena together… in fact, I wish the writers had explored the Kara and James relationship. And I don't dislike fighting Lena and Kara- passion shows in anger and in love. What I find so rich about this show is that so many of us from so many different experiences can watch the same 42-minute program and find in it what speaks to us personally. Even the friendship between Kara and Lena is so rife with potential for storytelling, because it is so complicated anyway, but I've always been attracted to the friendship just on the cusp of becoming something more… we'll see where this goes.


	2. Nighttime visitation (Kara POV)

**See chapter 1, don't own the characters I just play with them in my free (hah!) time... Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Kara looked up as she heard soft knock. She pulled her glasses down a fraction of an inch, and quickly paused the television when she saw who was standing on the other side of the heavy door. Checking her appearance, and finding it unsatisfying, she used her super speed to change into something less comfortable.

"Coming!" She shouted as she tripped over a pizza box, falling hard against the closest stool poking out from under the kitchen table. "Shoot," she whispered as the chair leg snapped. She kicked the broken piece under the kitchen counter, vowing to glue it back in when she had a free moment as she scurried to the door to swing it open.

"Lena Luthor! What are you doing on my side of town?" She beamed at the raven haired CEO.

"I hope you don't mind me stopping by…" she paused as Kara stepped aside, gesturing for Lena to enter the apartment.

"Not at all! Please come in! But, how did you know where I live?"

"Well, it turns out that my assistant Jess is good friends with one Eve Tessmacher, I think you know her. I hope you don't mind but I may have used a bit of persuasion to get your address."

"Oh my gosh, that's too funny! It's a small city, after all." Grinning at Lena, Kara swept a hand around her apartment. "I'm sorry its kind of a mess in here, I've-" She reached down and grabbed a pair of underwear off the couch. "Sorry, I've been meaning to clean, but I'm addicted to this show! Have you ever seen The 100?" She freed the chair cushion of some laundry and tossed it into her bedroom, indicating that Lena should take the newly opened seat.

"Of course I have, where have you been? Ooh, wait, how far along are you?" She gracefully lowered herself into the comfy chair.

"I'm halfway through the second season now. It's so good," she gushed.

"Ah. I won't spoil anything for you, but it's about to get better." She smiled at Kara and shifted the bag she'd brought off her shoulder and onto the floor. "And I certainly don't want to keep you from it."

"No, I'm glad you're here. It's nice to see you outside of the gleam and glitter of the corporate world," Kara replied, eliciting a laugh from the CEO. "Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Oh no, really it's okay, and I do still have some work to finish up. I just wanted to stop by and bring you a little something."

Kara positively squealed. "I love surprises! Is it food?"

Laughing heartily, Lena shook her head and picked up the brown bag she'd brought along. "No, it isn't food, unfortunately, which is obviously a failing on my part." She pulled out a parcel wrapped in tissue paper and handed it over to Kara.

Kara ripped the tissue paper off and gasped when she pulled out the gift Lena had brought her. It was a CatCo magazine cover, framed in rich ebony with a scarlet matte. She put her fingers to her mouth, momentarily dumbstruck. Her first cover.

"I hope it's not too forward. I thought, what better way to memorialize the start of your career as the finest journalist in National City?"

"Lena, no. No, it's- it's perfect. I'm touched, honestly." Their eyes met. "You didn't have to do this, this is so sweet."

"Well, I wanted to. You did right by me, and I'm proud of you for following your dreams."

"Thank you, really. Honestly, you inspired me to do that. I- this really means a lot to me. And I know exactly where to hang it!"

"Good," her new friend replied, and for a moment, they just looked at each other in silence until Lena broke the spell. "Well, I should get going. No rest for the wicked!" The CEO stood gracefully, and Kara followed suit, showing her to the door.

"Are you sure you can't stay?"

"I'm sure, but next time."

Kara pulled the door open. "That would be awesome. Seriously, stop by any time you're in the neighborhood."

Lena smiled, and made her way down the hallway when Kara called out to her. "And Lena? Thank you again, I haven't gotten such a thoughtful gift in a long time."

"You're very welcome, Kara Danvers."

Kara shut the door and leaned against it. She felt warm, bubbly from the inside. She went to her toolbox and pulled out a single nail. Retrieving her gift, she took the nail and pressed it against the wall of her bedroom, slowly pushing it into the drywall. Delicately, she hung the frame, adjusting it once or twice to make sure it was perfect.

She lay on her bed, arms crossed behind her head, and gazed at the magazine cover.

An hour later, the TV cut itself off automatically. Kara didn't even notice that she was floating above the bed.

* * *

 **A/N** : Just a short tie-over between chapters... I really wanted to know why Lena just walks right into Kara's apartment in "Crossfire" like she's been there before :P


	3. Party time, Excellent

**Again, I don't own the characters, just try to make them better :)**

* * *

Lena Luthor, genius extraordinaire, knew her idea for the fundraiser gala was particularly inspired.

Last week, she had given Kara Roulette's fight club location for mixed reasons. She had never liked Roulette, or so she told Kara. The truth was more complicated than that... How easy it was for infatuation to turn sour.

On top of that, who wouldn't want the Girl of Steel to owe her one? The idea of having yet another leg up on Supergirl was enticing. And now she knew exactly how to use that favor. No genius had gotten anywhere without just a little help from Lady Luck.

She needed Supergirl to attend the party. In the off chance that it took longer to rig the Blackbody Field Generator, Lena wanted Supergirl onsite to stop Miner and his goons before they hurt any innocent bystanders. Plus, since she was knowingly using the city's wealthiest residents as bait for Miner, Lena figured she owed them the best chance of coming out of this unscathed as they could have. She couldn't take their money to repair the Children's Hospital if they themselves were paying hospital bills.

Improvising, and indulging in her own entertainment, Lena decided that morning to invite Kara as well. She wanted to see the reaction when Kara realized both of her alter egos would have to be in the same place at the same time. Like any chess master, she also foresaw that this move allowed her the freedom to wrap her own desire to spend time with Kara socially in a legitimate reason to invite Kara out, one she wouldn't likely refuse.

Shaking her head to try and clear it, Lena took up the remote to her presentation screen and settled back into her office chair. Crossing her legs, she advanced the slides forward, reviewing her plans for the gala for the umpteenth time. The last piece of the puzzle was getting Supergirl there. The rest she had fairly in hand. But as she sat there staring at the equations she knew by heart, Lena felt her eyes blur, and her thoughts drift again.

When the Venture had gone down, Lena had known immediately the attack had targeted her, and she had started planning right away. The bomb under her seat was a giveaway, but there was something familiar in the way the attacks were executed, a dark sense of finesse and poetry… Something that hinted at Lex's legacy.

Those fears were only justified by the appearance of Clark Kent, Superman's alter ego, in her office that fateful and bright morning.

Clark's predisposition was understandable, however it stung Lena. Of course, he would assume that she was just like her brother. Surely, he saw her as a threat equal to Lex, and understandably so. Clark might not yet know it, but she was Lex's intellectual superior, and of course the name Luthor carried a dark weight. Still, Lena couldn't help but take a jab when the opportunity presented itself.

"There is some _steel_ under that Kansas wheat."

Kara was like the Kool-Aid man, smashing into Lena's reality with no had demanded Lena's attention from that very first meeting, drawing her eyes and a smile that the CEO just couldn't suppress. She had talked out of turn. She had _agreed_ with Lena. She had looked at her with awe, and compassion, in her eyes.

She had understood the desire to make a name for herself, to get out from under her family's shadow.

Knowing just who comprised that family, Lena found that revelation fascinating.

But come on! Clark Kent's junior reporter cousin, tagging along to discover what role Lena played in the Venture incident… her identity couldn't be more obvious. _How precious. They honestly think putting on a pair of glasses changes their entire being._

She'd prepared for someone to question her involvement in the Venture, especially since her subsidiary was involved. What was unexpected was the drop in the pit of her stomach when Kara smiled at her that day. And while Lena had been honest in expressing her desire to speak with "Miss Danvers" again, she certainly hadn't _expected_ to find the reporter on West Cordova Street more than once in a lifetime.

While loathe to admit it, Lena was lonely. Outside of sleeping and eating, Lena dedicated her time to the newly cemented L-Corp, and the relationships she did foster these days were business opportunities. So far, her longest sexual relationships in National City had lasted no more than the one night, which suited her, but left something to be desired in the way of personal interaction.

Not for the first time, she found she couldn't resist the idea of pulling Kara further into her world.

As the morning sun warmed her penthouse office, Lena slipped easily into this fantasy. She had no family to speak of. She had left her friends and everything she'd known behind to take Luthor Corp in its new direction, and she'd lost more contacts than she cared to admit with the move. Since doing so, she had been targeted with a bomb, her unveiling had been attacked, and she'd nearly been shot. She'd had to kill to save herself. Lena deserved a confidante… she needed one.

She had seen right away that Kara was still nervous around her. Easy enough to explain that- the capital L in Luthor. Kara wasn't wary to the extreme that Clark was, but she certainly didn't relax in the brunette's presence either.

 _Except when she flew over on that bus._ Lena's face broke out into a grin, one of those tight-lipped smiles she tried to contain, but that broke free despite her efforts to spread out and take flight of its own volition. She thought of it as suffering from Kara Induced Smiling.

 _Focus,_ Lena told herself. The priority was stopping Miner and his goons.

Now more than ever, she was sure that her mother was involved with Miner, and she had already suspected that Lillian was behind the attack on the Venture. _Add that to this week's list of stresses_.

If Lillian was involved, then only Supergirl could protect National City from those weapons. The technology was literally out of this world, which is how Lena justified this whole trap idea. She would create a blackbody field to dissolve the weapons and Supergirl would be on hand to run backup. She knew in theory that the field generator should work, but no one using blackbody radiation had studied these specific weapons before, meaning she'd have to solve for the ideal frequency in real time.

Lena needed Supergirl to buy her that time. And, frankly, she needed Supergirl as bait.

She told herself she needed Kara because of the delineation in the blonde's personalities: Supergirl wasn't allowed to relax, and Kara provided an outlet for Supergirl's personal opinions. Lena thought she could approach Kara; she was certain she had no chance with Supergirl. Supergirl couldn't play favorites, but Kara could have friends.

She was charmed to at the alter ego the Kryptonian had created. It was a literal personification of her two halves, a veritable yin and yang that you could see, and touch. Supergirl was a shield of justice, and Kara a puddle of mush.

 _Kind of like every woman._ Lena found that her attraction always favored strong women. More than anyone, she understood the need to adapt her own demeanor to achieve what she wanted, especially in business, but she couldn't help wanting to watch Kara drop the persona and show her true colors. Equally compelling was the idea that Supergirl, Justice with a Cape, really was a pile of newborn puppies at heart, but Lena wanted to see Kara come into her own as a woman, not just an alien superhero.

 _Wonder what she looks like in cocktail attire?_ Lena smirked to herself. _Wonder what she looks like in no attire?_

"Miss Luthor."

Startled to realize that she had not heard Jess come in, Lena sat up straighter as she felt a rare blush spread across her neck. She quickly turned off the presentation screen as she snapped at her assistant. "Page me next time, Jess."

"Y-yes ma'am, only, you do have your phone set to Do Not Disturb. I just wanted to let you know that your ten o'clock is here." The young woman was obviously uncomfortable at the idea of having caught Lena unawares.

"So I do." She graced the younger woman with a charming smile as she clicked off the DND. "Right as always, Jess. Let Dr. Wu know that I will see him now."

Jess turned on her heel, ready to make a hasty exit, but stopped when her boss called out again.

"Oh, and Jess, call over to CatCo, see if your friend Eve Tessmacher is in. I need you to find out what Kara Danvers' favorite food is, and my experience is that a good receptionist knows all."

Without even blinking at the strange request, Jess answered right away with a beaming smile. "Consider it done." And with that, she hurried out of the sleek office, cheeks flushed from the compliment.

* * *

She only needed one half of the dynamic "duo" to attend the gala, but any idea of this scale, once planted in Lena's brain, was near impossible to dislodge. She would never hurt Supergirl, or Kara, intentionally, but Lena had become comfortable with this new desire to toy with the Girl of Steel. Plus, even if Kara refused, she knew she sill had her favor to call in with Supergirl. Lena told herself it was a win/win either way.

Once her meeting with Wu was concluded, Lena made her way to CatCo in the hopes of catching the new reporter on her lunch break, but instead discovered her in the bullpen with her new friend "Mike, of the Interns." _Now who the hell is this?_ He was attractive… but clearly had no sense of boundaries.

Kara had her hair half-up, and Lena admitted to herself that maybe the subtle changes could fool people, like the hair, glasses, and what had to be stick-on earrings. There was no way that you'd be able to pierce the skin. Not having the luxury of ignorance made her biased, but Lena thought now maybe the disguise was brilliant. Simple, yet effective. Most people wouldn't allow themselves to believe that Kara Danvers could be the regal Supergirl.

Lena couldn't remember being physically this close to the reporter before. She filed this First into her mental scrapbook. Kara leaned in closer, putting her arm out to symbolically cut Mike out of their conversation.

Lena took the suggestion, and leaned in conspiratorially, fixing Kara with a seductive stare as she offered her invitation.

"You're literally my only friend in National City..."

She wasn't lying about that, at least, she did feel a connection between them. Worrying its way through the recesses of her mind was the insecure voice and that told her the only reason she felt this connection was that she needed to prove to Supergirl that she was _good_ , that they could work shoulder to shoulder, as allies.

But still, her stomach lurched in a very specific way when Kara told Mike he could not attend the gala, a feeling Lena recognized as potentially dangerous territory. Maybe Kara, too, felt this connection was special? Maybe she wanted to keep Lena to herself, away from the scrutinizing eyes of others? Maybe she didn't want Mike, who oozed the vibe that he was a player, to try and charm Lena? Maybe all of this was just conjecture?

 _God that smile._

To settle her thoughts, Lena told Kara to bring her friend. It was even possible that she'd have made Kara jealous by openly flirting with Mike of the Interns.

She hadn't even had to use the pot stickers as leverage.

* * *

Dropping by Kara's apartment was a calculated move. Of course, she knew Kara was there, another benefit of the relationship between Jess and Eve Tessmacher. Lena did not know how Kara would react to the unannounced visit, though she had told her to stop by any time she was in the neighborhood. Still, she expected the possibility that it would annoy Kara.

She _wasn't_ expecting to feel jealous of the woman standing in Kara's apartment _._

"This city's smaller than I thought."

Recognition had come to Lena; this was the FBI agent who had saved her from Corbin. Kara's sister. Immediately, Lena made a note to learn more about Alex Danvers. If she was Kara's sister then she might be more than FBI. If she was Supergirl's sister, then she might be more than human. Lex had had little enough information on Supergirl, and a sister was certainly nowhere in the file.

 _I wonder if she knows…_

"I need you to deliver a message to Supergirl." The look Kara exchanged with Alex told Lena everything: Alex was very much aware of Kara's secret identity, and she had more than a sister's interest in a meeting to take place between a Super and a Luthor. More research would likely tell her if Alex Danvers, federal agent, was involved professionally in the goings on of Supergirl.

Lena took her time extracting herself from the moment, casually chatting with Kara about lunch plans later in the week. Finally, she pulled out two tickets from her purse and handed them over to Kara.

"For you and Mike, for the gala. I will have great big beefy security types there without much imagination, so make sure you bring those. Obviously, _you'd_ be fine, but we wouldn't want Mike to hurt himself…" She winked at Kara, then turned to Alex continuing, "I'm sure you'd agree that Kara would be able to talk her way out of any situation."

"Oh, she can be _quite_ convincing," the older Danvers agreed with feeling. The two sisters shared another significant glance before Lena excused herself and headed back to her office for final preparations, a smirk on her face all the while.

* * *

Lena's confidence waned, however, and by evening she was willing to admit that she felt anxious about meeting Supergirl again. Kara. No amount of education or natural intelligence could help her instinct, which was to compartmentalize Kara's two personalities. She had had plenty of time to dwell on it, having made excuses for her late afternoon meeting so that should could instead spend the rest of the day with a bottle of merlot.

Now Lena fully grasped the perfection of the simple disguise of Kara Danvers, vanilla reporter. It was a brain teaser. The mind can't justify the two, and so it reassures itself that these identities are separate.

She also had fully grasped now that she was hopelessly-in-like with Kara Danvers.

Nobody else in National City had captured Lena's attention and imagination the way that Kara had. Theirs was officially Lena's longest-lasting relationship in her new "home."

She had been approached by several of her connections in real estate about purchasing a home, condo, or plot of land upon which to develop when she arrived in National City, but it still didn't feel right. Lena was used to feeling at odds with her surroundings. Lillian had made sure of that over the years.

Kara was like cool air in a stifling room.

Unable to resist the temptation, Lena opened her computer. Rather than opening her work documents or personal design projects, Lena restored a folder from her Recycle Bin. It contained her most shameful secret: a dossier. Pictures of Kara and information on her personal life obtained from two private detectives Lena had hired.

She opened a jpg, saved it to her desktop, and trashed the remaining contents of the file again. Finally, she permanently deleted all data contained in the Recycle Bin. She opened the picture file and reduced its resolution, so it would fit in the gap created by her other open windows, like a wallet size taped to her screen. It was a candid shot of Kara, who had been out with her friends at the time. She was relaxed and smiling, and she was making a fool out of herself in the picture. Lena wanted to know this part of Kara. To do that, she knew she'd have to build trust between them.

And the way to do that was not to have a personal dossier on your friend. So she closed the picture again, and was about to send it the same way as the rest of the file when she heard the soft rustling of wind through fabric and the sound of boots touching down on the balcony outside her window. Quickly, she minimized the window and turned toward the source of the sound.

"Supergirl!" _Tone it down._

Regaining that control, Lena thanked the superhero for coming, and laid out her reasons for inviting her to the gala. She could feel her cheeks flush with wine and excitement. In the back of her mind, she knew that even if Supergirl refused to come, she'd already secured Kara's attendance, but she knew that maintaining the illusion of ignorance was important for her. Kara needed to think that she had done a good job at concealing her identity.

"You like to take risks, don't you?" _God if she only had a clue_.

For a moment, Lena's mask dropped, and she responded honestly. "Well, you can't live in fear." She stood and moved across Supergirl, coming to a halt just inches from the Kryptonian, forcing the blonde to follow her movement. "You more than anyone should understand that." Her voice sounded husky to her own ears. She took a step closer to Supergirl, working her best puppy eyes. "I am asking for your help."

 _Nailed it._

Supergirl smiled at Lena, and the CEO realized in that moment that she wasn't sure which of Kara's personalities she was more attracted to. She was close enough to see the detail on her super-suit, the intricate weaving that protected her like body armor. She could see now that there was no form to the suit, it was simply contoured perfectly to the Kryptonian's musculature. Up close, the cape was much heavier than Lena had previously suspected, and not for the first time, she wondered how she could get her hands on it to study. Whatever material was used surely had other practical applications she could divine.

 _It'd be easy enough if she spent the night._

Instead she said, "So Kara and I will see you tomorrow night?"

"Right. Kara and I will _both_ be at your party."

Lena was certain that Supergirl didn't think she could hear the loud "Crap!" that issued from her mouth before taking off.

She smiled after her favorite superhero as she leaped from the ground.

 _Gotcha._

* * *

The next night, Lena looked hopefully around the crowd of glitterati, scanning faces for the one she desperately wanted to see. As the anticipation had built, so too had Lena's anxieties about her own abilities to execute this plan without flaw. She knew the theory, she trusted her calculations, but couldn't shake the feeling of dread that she would fail.

She had a contingency plan if that happened. She'd hidden the Blackbody Field Generator under the stage. That way, nobody would know if it didn't work, and she could spare herself added embarrassment from the scientific community. Not to mention that if it came out she had set the trap intentionally, then had failed to apprehend the weapons, all progress she had made so far in rebranding L-Corp as a force for good would fly out the window. Worst of all, this whole plan would be seen as one giant cavalier Luthor-ism: putting others in harm's way to achieve a personal vendetta.

 _Which is exactly why you don't fail._

Lena ran through the plan again as she chatted casually with a donor. At the first sign of trouble, she'd make for the stage. She had a scanner tucked into her handbag, and it would be passively sweeping for the weapons' frequency already. She'd calculate for the specific wavelength, activate the field generator, and the weapons would be disintegrated. She just needed to spot Kara, and every aspect of her plan would be accounted for.

"Lena!"

Turning politely from her conversation, Lena's eyes met the beautiful blue orbs she had been looking for all night. Lena's attention immediately went to the fact that her hair was pulled up tightly and her heels were too high to be considered practical. Anxious to get this charade on its way, Lena instigated. "Have you seen Supergirl?"

 _Ah_. The small nerdy guy was her wingman. He immediately knocked into Lena, pretending to spill his champagne on her dress. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kara dart off, and as Schott pretended to act concerned, Supergirl landed delicately in front of them.

 _Wow._

Lena had calculated how fast Kara would have to move to remove her clothing and reappear as Supergirl with varying results that fell in the crazy-fast to speed of light range. Knowing that, however, didn't lessen the impact for Lena. The Kryptonian's hair even looked like she had used a barrel roll curler on it. She was still trying to follow the alien's trail as she took off when Kara reappeared behind her.

 _Better ham it up a little._ "Kara! You _just_ missed Supergirl," she told her friend, who looked very pleased with herself. She punctuated the act by looking back to the sky again, as if maybe she could catch Supergirl pacing the perimeter.

"Did I? Golly."

Lena honestly didn't know that people still said that. Before she completely blew her cover, Lena gently touched the reporter on the elbow, turning her to face a waiter that was coming their way. "Come on, there's someone I want to introduce you to."

She signaled to the server, who immediately altered his course and came to stand before the two women.

"Kara, this is Jason, and I think that Jason has something you will want to see." Her heart leaped when Kara squealed at the realization that Lena was serving her very favorite food at this party.

"Oh my God! Lena, I freaking love you!"

Lena's heart would have jumped at that, too, but the moment was spoiled when Kara immediately told Jason that she loved him also, since he was holding the tray. Making her excuses, Lena left Kara with the appetizers and headed for the stage, waiting for Miner to arrive.

She'd heard no previous confrontation with her security detail when he did show up, which meant they had followed her instructions not to interfere. She couldn't have the lives of men just doing their jobs on her conscience. One glance at her scanner, though, and Lena's mouth went dry. She wasn't close enough to get a reading of the radiation coming off their weapons. She'd have to put herself directly in front of one. _Stupid._

Improvising, Lena confronted Miner, and as he ripped the necklace from her neck, she felt the soft vibration of the scanner indicating that she had the reading she needed to engage the field generator. Supergirl chose that moment to make her appearance, and as Miner turned to attack her, Lena dove for the stage. The rush she was feeling at her plan unfolding with precision was stopped short when she couldn't get the field generator working.

This was the moment she had been planning for weeks, and her fears and anxieties had proven true. She couldn't do it. She, like Lex, was destined to disappoint.

Her musings were interrupted when someone rolled under the stage to join her. It was Kara's wingman, the nerdy guy. _What the hell is he doing here?_ She couldn't have been more surprised when he asked her if she was working on a blackbody field generator. _Should've known, if he's working with Supergirl he's bound to have some valuable skillset._ Ultimately, it was in bouncing ideas off Kara's friend that she'd realized the induction coil was the answer. She learned later that his name was Winn Schott, and she made a note to learn more about him, too. Together the could make one hell of a team.

* * *

The next evening, Lena stood on her balcony, watching the sun set. She'd installed the balcony for this very reason, just after she had renamed the company L-Corp. She was a self-aware person, so she didn't even bother denying that the fact that Supergirl could use it to contact her easily. She wanted Kara to feel welcome in her world. She'd made Jess give her free access as Kara, and Lena could share the balcony with Supergirl.

She was deep in thought when she heard the now-familiar whooshing sound of her favorite superhero's cape as she landed behind Lena.

"Good evening, Miss Luthor."

Lena felt her whole body relax in the Kryptonian's presence. "Good evening, Supergirl. What a beautiful night for flying. I myself am still not a fan of it," and the shared a laugh at the inside joke.

"I like this balcony, by the way. I like all the changes you've made to your company. Kara Danvers let me read her article on you a couple of weeks ago before she published it."

"Really? I'm surprised, I would have thought that you and she would share the same sentiments about the alien detection device." Lena couldn't help herself. This was her new obsession.

"I want what's best for this city. I think you are a part of that." The hero graced Lena with a smile.

 _Gulp._

Lena turned them in the direction of her office door, eager to get the focus off herself, and Supergirl followed.

"You took a great risk, Miss Luthor. Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?"

"I doubt that you would have believed that a Luthor just wanted to see justice done." She meant that. It would take a lot of work convincing National City and the world that Lena had good intentions. Perhaps by convincing Supergirl, she could make that work go faster.

"Well, I couldn't have stopped them without you. Thank you."

Supergirl's sincerity was moving. Lena looked down at the crest on her uniform, studying the S-like figure there. Lex had a note in the file about the crest and its meaning: Stronger Together. She felt inspired to open up to the alien. "Who would've believed it? A Luthor and a Super working together? I hope we can work together more in the future."

"Me too."

Her smile was intoxicating. Lena opened her mouth to say more when a familiar voice interrupted her reverie. "Oh, I didn't know you had company."

Alarm bells went off in Lena's head when she saw Lillian, and her body tensed immediately. Lillian Luthor was easily the biggest threat to Supergirl in this city. Eager to protect her new friend, Lena asked Supergirl to excuse them.

"What do you want, Mom?

"Can't a mother check in on her only free child without drawing scrutiny?"

"Not in this family."

"How would you know?"

"Ouch. If you came here for warm and fuzzy family tidings, I think we both know you came to the wrong place. What do you want?"

"I want us to be friends, Lena. Can we work on that?"

Lena scoffed, and riding high on her victory and the conversation she'd had with Supergirl, she stuck her chin out like a small child. "I have friends, mother. True friends. And trust me when I tell you that you don't know what that even means."

Her mother's gaze was unfathomable. Lena fought the urge to break her gaze but held strong. Finally, it was her mother who blinked. "I'll come back when you're in a better mood."

As she exited the office, Lena glanced down at her desk, finding the glass of wine she had been sipping on before Supergirl arrived. She picked up the glass and slowly downed its remaining contents. Then she threw the glass against the door, breaking glass showering the floor of her office.

Lena silently refused to make an analogy to the pieces of her broken heart.


	4. Special Favor (Jess POV)

**Beloved Jess, what would the fandom do without Jess? Did you know she's credited on imdb as 'receptionist' in "Survivors" :( Jess deserves better ;P**

* * *

"You tell the owner I'm calling for Lena Luthor and she'll want to talk to me, I promise." Jess rolled her eyes to no one. It was already getting late, this was taking way too long, and there were so many more calls to make before she left for the night.

Finally, the voice she needed to hear came on the line. "For Lena Luthor? Seriously?"

"Seriously. Tell me you can help me out. She is riding me on this, it's a huge deal."

"Why us? I mean, I'm honored, but I wouldn't have thought someone like Lena Luthor would have even heard of us."

"She has it on good authority that you have the best product in National City. Apparently a very influential donor will be there, and it's for a really good cause… you know the Children's Hospital was attacked?"

"Oh my God, yes, I heard about that. Well, when is it? I need details, I'm not even sure what we can do to be honest."

"Friday night. I know it's short notice but like I said, good cause."

"Three days? Jeez. Friday's my big day, too. How many people?"

"Two hundred."

"Okay… that's not too bad."

"But, we'll need at least six hundred."

"Six hundred?! You gotta be shitting me. I'd need at least three other people to help."

"Money is no object. You have to deliver, though. Just tell me what you need, and make it happen."

"Ugh… I'm crazy. But how can I say no? That's almost a week's worth of work in one night! Holy shit."

Jess gave the food truck owner the important details about the gala. She was friendly and funny, but Jess had at least four more calls to make and she did not want to cancel plans with Eve again. In fact, she decided to call Eve Teschmacher next to make sure they were still on. That way she could kill two birds with one stone.

Politely, she asked the woman on the other end of the line if she had any last questions.

"No, no… I just can't believe it. I think I'm just in shock. Lena freakin' Luthor wants six hundred of my potstickers! It just goes to show, there are some things in life you can't predict."

As she disconnected and dialed the next number, Jess thought, _Ain't that the truth?_

"Eve, hi! First, business… can you give me Kara Danvers' address?"


	5. Space Parade

**This chapter takes place during "Medusa." See chapter one for disclaimers, and thank you for reading!**

* * *

Lena knew right away when Kara appeared at her office door on the day after Thanksgiving with her questions about the Luthor matriarch, thinly veiled in a bogus excuse about a CatCo puff piece, that she was lying about her reason for visiting. A very small voice in the recesses of her mind asked, _is she here to see me?_ Most of National City would be at home, celebrating with loved ones or at least enjoying a day off from work.

Not Kara, though- she had come for her job. Lena just hadn't been sure which job. "Women of Power and the Mothers who Molded Them." Thinking back on it now, the Luthor scoffed at the pretense. As if her mother had had anything to do with her "molding." If anything, Lillian's influence on Lena was that she drove Lena in the opposite direction, physically and metaphorically. Besides, Kara was a terrible liar- she clearly wanted something else. Lena was disgusted with herself to discover she was disappointed… and jealous.

Kara wanted at Lillian, dogging Lena about her mother's interest in L-Corp. Kara even maneuvered around Lena's redirections by using her own words about wanting L-Corp to be a force for good against her. If this had been a chess match, Lena might have lost ground for not anticipating the angle. _Oh, she's good._

Somewhat shaken by the interaction, Lena excused herself. Kara had either not noticed the subtle change or was simply too polite to call Lena out on avoiding this conversation.

Lena had immediately asked her mother in for a meeting. She couldn't have Kara Danvers knowing more about the Luthor family than she did, and she refused to find out second-hand what Lillian was up to in the shadows of National City. Lena had developed even more suspicions about Lillian after Lex's downfall. As far as the youngest Luthor was concerned, Lillian was responsible for the entire fiasco. She filled Lex's head with hypocrisy and hatred, pushing him over the edge with her own twisted agenda.

Despite the disappointment she felt, she knew Lex was ultimately responsible for his own actions. Lena desperately missed her older brother, confidante and best friend. Lillian only reminded her of that disappointment and darkness.

The only thing Lena liked less than being in her mother's company was not knowing what the woman was up to. Lillian breezed into the CEO's office the next morning with the carelessness of a true sociopath. Still, Lena marveled at her swagger. In all her years of working to hide the way others affected her, both in her business and personal relationships, Lena could never be that cold.

"Lex was always your favorite," she had said, daring her mother to deny it. She didn't.

Lillian refused to give anything away, and Lena cursed her mother's ability to turn any advantage Lena had against her. Standing on the top floor of the highest building in National City, she still felt like that lost little girl, desperate for this woman's attention and acceptance. She taunted her mother with a warning about Kara and dismissed her.

She wished she had felt as detached as she had sounded.

* * *

 _Another night, same view_. Sighing, Lena set her tablet down and poured herself another glass of wine. She leaned back in her office chair and was about to slip off her heels when the building's alarm was triggered from the lobby.

Immediately, her emergency protocols activated, and her view screen displayed the same security feeds the guard could see from the front desk, including a few camera angles that only she could access, such as the view from her rooftop balcony. Eagerly, she scanned the images for the source of the alarm. The lobby feed showed the guard pointing his firearm at a hooded intruder. _Shit._

Lena ran to her private elevator, which ran from her penthouse office to the lobby. The last thing they needed tonight was a shooting. As the car descended, much slower than she remembered, Lena calmed her breathing by focusing on the guard's name. Why couldn't she remember? He had been with her for almost a year… _Owens. No, Owings._ With a pleasant ding, the doors to the elevator slid slowly open, but Lena pushed against them to force them to let her out faster. She ran toward the sounds of the fightS, her thoughts on Owings.

Rounding the corner, she was horrified to see Supergirl splayed out on the shining lobby floor, the concrete "L" of the building's logo smashed and scattered about her prone form. Oddly, Lena calmly recalled the lobby had been waxed earlier that evening. _Shame._ Then, like a wave breaking above her head, the reality of what she was seeing, hearing, and smelling came crashing down. _Oh my God._ She may have said it out loud. She may have screamed it.

Numb, Lena watched the intruder, a dark man with a metallic ocular implant, lift the huge concrete block like it was an empty pizza box and hurled it directly at her. She blinked, her eyes tracking Owings as he escaped through one of the side entrances, but she thought only of the bottle of champagne upstairs in her wine cooler that she had yet to open. _Shame._ She closed her eyes, prepared for the crash, but it never came.

Instead, Lena opened her eyes to see Supergirl blocking her from harm, a cloud of dust and debris settling around them.

Supergirl had saved her life once again.

* * *

Once the police had cleared out, and Lena had sufficiently washed the concrete dust out of her mouth and eyes, she made the rounds with the remaining employees in the building, ensuring that no one had been hurt and that any questions had were answered.

She finally returned to her office and went immediately to the wine fridge, cleverly disguised as a cabinet. She yanked the bottle of champagne out and wrenched off the cork. _Life is too short._

Lena made notes in her tablet about additional security in the building, including an upgrade to her executive elevator that would allow an emergency "express" trip down to the exits. She even pondered keeping a gun in a locked safe in her office. Slowly, the bottle was drained of its expensive contents.

She felt warm as she reviewed the security footage for any hints about the intruder's identity when she saw and heard the telltale decent of National City's resident superhero onto her balcony.

The CEO felt an immediate, involuntary surge of emotion. _Like Pavlov's dogs._ She was practically bubbling with excitement, and her words of gratitude came out in a rush.

But Supergirl was stern, angry even. She had come to accuse Lillian Luthor of being the creative and financial force behind the terrorist organization Cadmus.

It is a peculiar phenomenon to experience an outsider making observations about one's family or close friends. Lena had suspected that her mother was affiliated with some of the recent activity in National City, and she knew that her mother was a cold, calculating hatemonger. But to hear someone else, even the Girl of Steel, accuse Lillian of criminal behavior on this scale made Lena's blood boil. Supergirl had brought all of Lena's insecurities surrounding their relationship to the surface in mere seconds.

How long would it be before Lena herself was accused? How much more could she possible prove to this woman that she cared, that she was good, that she fought for justice in her own way? Did the suspicion run too deep on both sides?

For the first time since meeting the honey blonde, Lena was brutally honest with Supergirl.

"You wear that symbol on your chest and everyone thinks you're good. How many times did your cousin put on that high and mighty costume and come after Lex?" _Unfair,_ she thought, and though she knew it was hurtful, she felt the slightest pleasure at letting the words come unchecked. It was like she was hearing someone else's voice. "How long before you come after me?"

She honestly expected anger; the compassion and understanding in the azure eyes gazing back at her was worse. Hearing her inspiration tell her how good and smart she was, and that she should be her own hero, only made her more stubborn. _You were my hero!_

Lena dismissed the alien with all the self-control she could muster, casually turning back to her tablet. "You can leave the same way you came in."

As soon as she was sure Supergirl was gone, she practically slammed the tablet down on her desk with false carelessness, taking a lap around her office and running her hands over her hair to smooth it before circling back tentatively to ensure she hadn't actually cracked the screen. _I should've known! All the signs were there, I just didn't want to put it together._

Lena spent the evening compiling the evidence she had gathered regarding her mother's recent exploits, matching what she had found to the timeline of the Cadmus broadcasts. Miner and the guns were connected. She'd read that the men taken into custody after the gala incident had been inexplicably killed in police care… that made sense now, too. She'd tossed those men aside like empty husks when she gotten what she wanted. It was a valuable lesson.

It hadn't taken the genius long to reverse the hack that she'd detected earlier in the week back to the DEO. She'd allowed them continued access to her network so that she could use it against them, funneling data from their files as they did the same to her. She'd even programmed it to remain open once the DEO was done, so that at any time, she'd have a back door to enter quietly.

The virus that was stolen was dubbed 'Medusa;' Lena found it fitting given Lillian's vile nature. It was a defense tactic designed to target all DNA alien to Kryptonians, but Lillian had modified its baseline to that of the human genome. Supergirl would die with the rest of the non-human population.

The fatal flaw in the plan was Isotope 454. It was no random intruder in her building- this was a targeted attack by Cadmus… by Lillian Luthor. Lena saw immediately that she could render the virus inert by tampering with the isotope, which was created in this very building. _My entire life is in this building_.

Despite this, the scientist realized that of everything Supergirl had revealed tonight, Lena was most disturbed by one casual statement- Lillian had kidnapped the Kryptonian. How? Why? What had she learned? Lena couldn't determine which was more compelling, the prospect of studying the data her mother had gathered or destroying it. Not a woman to let inertia control her world, Lena gave herself ten seconds to decide, but immediately reached for her phone.

"Mom? We should talk."

* * *

Lena pushed the heavy case toward her mother, showing her the supply of Isotope 454 she had removed from the lab. Her heart was pounding, her limbs shaky. Her mother had all but admitted she was the powerhouse behind Cadmus- now more than ever, Lena doubted her own safety in the older Luthor's presence. This was worth the risk. She had a unique opportunity, and she wasn't about to let it go.

She had already called the police. Lena had expected them to take some convincing, but she had underestimated the weight her name and position leant her. A plain-clothes officer was already positioned outside the office waiting for whatever information Lena could get out of Lillian face-to-face.

Steeling herself, Lena smiled broadly at her mother, whose eyes were shining with greed. "There is something I want in return."

The taller women blinked at her daughter but recovered quickly. "Of course."

"I want the data you acquired on Supergirl."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"You kidnapped her. And you will give me the data, or you won't get the isotope. It really is very simple." She pulled the case back across the desk and locked it.

She sounded fierce to her own ears but felt nothing of the bravado she displayed. Every piece to this elaborate plan had to fit in place. If Lillian should catch any whiff of duplicity, she wouldn't proceed with her plan to release the virus. The police would need proof of the crime, and Lena intended to give it to them.

"My, my… you are a Luthor, aren't you?" Lillian reached into her purse and pulled out what looked like an innocuous tube of lipstick. She unscrewed the bottom and pulled out a tiny flash drive, placing it on the desk in front of Lena. "So be it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Lena used the nails of her thumb and forefinger to pluck the drive from the desk. _She thinks I don't know._ _Good._ She watched as Lillian picked up the case, then turned and looked expectantly at her.

"Well? Shall we?"

Lena walked across the office to the stand where her burgundy coat was hanging, using the motion to mask that she had just hit 'send' on a text she'd had prepared, letting the officer outside know they were on the move. She knew that Supergirl and her friends had devised some way of tracking the isotope, so the DEO would know where they were going without any alert. This could have gone much smoother if only they had let her know sooner exactly what Lillian had been after. Instead, she'd lost hours on catching herself up the DEO's knowledge of Lillian and Cadmus. She'd even had to figure out how to trick the DEO's radiological alarm tag on isotope 454. If they didn't think she'd removed it from her stockpiles, the plan went up in smoke.

As she exited the office, Lena was stopped by a firm grip on her elbow.

"How do I open it? Is it biometric? Some kind of fingerprint scan?"

"Ah! It's a code. One, two, three, four."

"You've got to be kidding."

"I had a feeling you'd be reasonable." To her surprise, the older woman smirked at her and she liked it. _Don't enjoy this too much._ But she did enjoy playing the hero for a change… she would not acknowledge the lingering desire for Lillian's approval.

As they made their way to the port, Lena stayed quiet while Lillian broadcasted another Cadmus hack across the city, boasting her victory in advance. Lena anxiously watched the driver, whom she'd discovered was another of her mother's pet projects as well as the intruder she'd sent to L-Corp for the isotope. The CEO knew that somewhere behind them a cop was following the van, and she knew a radiological alarm would alert the DEO to their destination. As long as 'Hank Henshaw' didn't detect anyone following them, and as long as she could keep Lillian riding high on the novelty of a mother-daughter bonding opportunity, the plan should proceed.

She could not fathom what Supergirl's reaction would be. _Who cares,_ she thought defiantly.

Lena found it ridiculously easy for them to access the port. The security guard was either on the payroll or had been threatened. The CEO made a mental note to research ways to make this place less vulnerable to terrorist attack.

Once they parked, the cyborg moved off into the shadows, waiting to ambush the Girl of Steel.

 _Any minute now._

Lillian pulled the tarp off the missile with more parental pride than she had ever shown Lena. Still, she played she part with confidence.

Supergirl arrived with a Hank Henshaw look-alike just as Lena was about to turn the ignition key on the missile. Even now, she had to make it look convincing. She knew that if Lillian wasn't caught here, she'd run, and she'd carry out far more nefarious plans away from the younger Luthor's watchful eye. At least in this experiment, Lena could control the variables.

Supergirl commanded her not to turn the ignition. "Why not? I'm a Luthor!"

Looking into Supergirl's eyes at that moment, Lena was disturbed by what she saw. There was no hatred or disgust. Once again, she found compassion and concern… and love? _No. Not love. Not for me._ Supergirl was just disappointed to lose someone else to the darkness, that was all. She seemed tired. Tired of losing people.

Regardless, the Kryptonian blasted off after the missile, hoping to catch it before it was detonated. Lena could only watch as Lillian turned the key once more, and the savior of National City plummeted from the sky. _She'll be alright,_ Lena reassured herself. While the older Luthor divided her attention between the missile and the fight between the doppelganger Hank Henshaws, Lena moved back, subtly pulling her phone out. She typed "now" and hit send to the undercover officer waiting at the port's entrance.

The explosion was devastatingly beautiful, like a Thanksgiving tickertape death parade from space. Lena watched as the shimmering orange fallout gently fluttered down, dancing around the beautiful blonde Kryptonian. If only she could have warned Supergirl that there was no harm… but it all had to look convincing. Still, even with feared etched on her features, Supergirl was stunning and proud, awaiting her fate. It was a scene from a dream, eerie and serene.

As recognition dawned in Lillian's eyes, Lena stepped forward, showing her hand at last with a surge of triumphant emotion that she was careful to conceal. It would be tasteless to brag. Still, she felt her eyebrows twitch as the sirens announced multiple police vehicles on a fast approach.

Supergirl immediately went over to her friend, who Lena figured was DEO. Lena tried to make eye contact with her, but with no success. Perhaps it was simply the police questions and the escaped "cyborg Superman" or maybe it was intentional.

After statements had been made and Lillian was carted away in handcuffs, Lena finally took a huge breath and boldly walked over to Supergirl, determined to break the awkwardness between them and maybe rub it in… just a little. She opened her mouth to let Supergirl know just how wrong she had been when she beat her to it.

"I was wrong."

Lena closed her mouth.

"Well, I mean, I was right, and I was wrong," the alien continued. "I should have come to you sooner. I should have trusted my instincts about you without wavering. You shouldn't have had to do this alone, Ms. Luthor. I'm sorry."

Surprising herself, Lena came to the Kryptonian's defense. "You have to answer to so many people, Supergirl. I've been working to distance myself from the Luthor name for most of my life, but with vehemence since Lex…" She trailed off and glanced away, not wanting to ramble. Meeting the cornflower eyes again she said, "I understand better than anyone the baggage carried by the name Luthor. You protect everyone, not me. I don't deserve that kind of attention."

"Now you're wrong. You are the most deserving person in National City. You deserve to be safe, and you deserve to be happy. Most of all, you deserve to be judged on your own merits, not your name." The superhero reached out with one hand into the distance between them and stood waiting for Lena's response. "I will always help you Lena Luthor. If you promise to help me stay humble."

Lena searched those eyes for any sign of deceit or teasing. Finally, she smiled softly at the taller woman and grasped her outstretched hand. She was surprised at the gentle grip, and found herself wondering how difficult it was for the hero to regulate her strength.

"I promise."

Lena's smile widened, her former resolve to tell Supergirl off dissolved into nothing.

"I am very interested to hear how you pulled this off tonight." The hero was still smiling, still shaking Lena's hand.

"I'd be happy to share." Lena refused to break the eye contact. "Maybe you could join me for dinner? Saving the day _really_ makes you hungry." Her hand was starting to feel clammy from the grip.

"Tell me about it!"

Supergirl laughed, and Lena heard Kara's voice at last. She let go of the Kryptonian's hand in that instant. Suddenly, it was all too complicated. She was Kara and she wasn't... It was like entering a wormhole from both sides but never meeting in the middle. She was allowed to love one side of this woman, and allowed to save the other, but she wasn't allowed to know them both.

It was clear that Kara picked up on the shift in Lena's mood.

"But, I uh… I have some more work to do tonight. Thank you again for your help, Ms. Luthor." And with that, the hero was gone, blasted into flight in less time than it took to blink.

"No rest for the wicked." Lena had no audience.

"Happy Thanksgiving, National City."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading! I def have more chapters planned, so if you like it, hit the follow button for updates :D

I encourage reviews, b/c they encourage me!


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